The small ice-free areas of Antarctica provide an essential habitat for most evident terrestrial biodiversity, as well as being disproportionately targeted by human activity. Visual detection of disturbance within these environments has become a useful tool for measuring areas affected by human impact, but questions remain as to what environmental consequences such disturbance actually has. To answer such questions, several factors must be considered, including the climate and biotic and abiotic characteristics. Although a body of research has established the consequences of disturbance at given locations, this paper was conceived in order to assess whether their findings could be generalized as a statement across the Antarctic continent. From a review of 31 studies within the Maritime Antarctic, Continental Antarctic and McMurdo Dry Valleys regions, we found that 83% confirmed impacts in areas of visible disturbance. Disturbance was found to modify the physical environment, consequently reducing habitat suitability as well as directly damaging biota. Visible disturbance was also associated with hydrocarbon and heavy metal contamination and non-native species establishment, reflecting the pressures from human activity in these sites. The results add significance to existing footprint measurements based on visual analysis, should aid on-the-ground appreciation of probable impacts in sites of disturbance and benefit environmental assessment processes.

中文翻译：

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对与南极洲无冰地面可见干扰相关的环境影响的见解

南极洲的小型无冰区为最明显的陆地生物多样性提供了必要的栖息地，并且不成比例地成为人类活动的目标。对这些环境中的干扰进行视觉检测已成为测量受人类影响影响的区域的有用工具，但对于这种干扰实际产生的环境后果仍然存在疑问。要回答这些问题，必须考虑几个因素，包括气候以及生物和非生物特征。尽管大量研究已经确定了在给定位置受到干扰的后果，但撰写本文的目的是评估他们的发现是否可以概括为整个南极大陆的声明。根据对南极海洋内 31 项研究的回顾，在南极大陆和麦克默多干谷地区，我们发现 83% 的人在可见干扰区域确认了影响。发现干扰会改变物理环境，从而降低栖息地的适宜性并直接破坏生物群。可见干扰也与碳氢化合物和重金属污染以及非本地物种的建立有关，反映了这些地点人类活动的压力。这些结果增加了基于视觉分析的现有足迹测量的意义，应有助于实地评估干扰地点的可能影响并有益于环境评估过程。从而降低栖息地的适宜性并直接破坏生物群。可见干扰也与碳氢化合物和重金属污染以及非本地物种的建立有关，反映了这些地点人类活动的压力。这些结果增加了基于视觉分析的现有足迹测量的意义，应有助于实地评估干扰地点的可能影响并有益于环境评估过程。从而降低栖息地的适宜性并直接破坏生物群。可见干扰也与碳氢化合物和重金属污染以及非本地物种的建立有关，反映了这些地点人类活动的压力。这些结果增加了基于视觉分析的现有足迹测量的意义，应有助于实地评估干扰地点的可能影响并有益于环境评估过程。